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An adaptation of the novel by Lilian Lee, the film explores the effect of China's political turmoil during the mid-20th century on the lives of individuals, families and groups. Spanning 53 years, the film is two films at once, a tale of the friendship of two men against the historical backdrop of a country in upheaval. The central characters, Dieyi and Xiaolou, are two apprentices in the Peking Opera, the film examines how their lives are affected by major political changes such as the Japanese invasion of China in the 1930s and the victory of the communists in 1949 - alongside the story of a woman who comes between them. (British Film Institute (BFI))
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Life – masks – theatre. Chinese actors’ relationship to Chinese opera and Chinese opera’s relationship to the rest of society during five decades of Chinese history. Thanks to the colourfulness and composition of the shots, Farewell My Concubine is a captivating work that is not in any way harmed by its length. On the contrary, after an hour I had become accustomed to the different cultural environment and began to get into the story. The film contains historical facts, but they are less important than the atmosphere of the given era and opera’s significance within it. After the opening training of the future artists and the closing brutal suppression of one theatre by another (communist), this visually poetic film is not in any way indebted to China’s reputation as a harsh land. 80%
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A very intense film where you wouldn't expect it to be one of the best blends of personal drama, human drama, and societal drama. But that's exactly what you get from it, and on top of that, you also have very powerful scenes that are capable of etching themselves into your memory for a long time. A film that doesn't let you catch your breath.
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